Alan Young, Of DuckTales And Mr. Ed Fame, Dead At 96

We aren’t even halfway through 2016, and we’ve already lost so many beloved entertainers. From film, to music, to television, an entire stable of wonderful performers seems to have passed right before our very eyes. There’s no reprieve from this sort of thing, as we seem to have lost yet another icon. We’ve just learned that one of TV’s greatest icons from the black and white era has sadly passed away.

According to a new report from THR, actor Alan Young has passed away at his residence at the Motion Picture & Television Home in Woodland Hills, California. At 96-years-old, his death as been ruled a result of natural causes. As far as careers go, Alan Young managed to consistently find success during his active years by portraying good-natured individuals. His most famous role came in the form of Wilbur Post on the legendary TV series Mr. Ed, a role in which he portrayed the “straight-man” opposite the beloved, titular talking horse.

In his later years he went on to a take a string of film and television roles, and finally attained legendary status once again by providing the voice for cartoon icon Scrooge McDuck on the beloved Disney cartoon DuckTales. If you were a kid during the late 1980s and early 1990s, chances are that Young’s voice played a central role in your Saturday morning cartoon lineup.

Check out a clip from DuckTales below to get a nostalgic reminder of his greedy yet good-natured curmudgeon:

All that being said, Alan Young’s life outside of his career was not always a charmed one. He spent much of his formative years bedridden as a sickly child, and it was during this time that he fell in love with radio. When he finally became old enough, he began working at a local radio station in Vancouver, and subsequently started showing initiative and talent by including himself in a script for a radio drama. He left entertainment for a brief period to serve in the Canadian military during WWII, but soon returned to his life of acting and performing following his return from service overseas.

We’ve had to say the words “rest in peace” far too many times this year, and still it never gets any easier. Alan Young’s family and friends have our deepest condolences for their loss, but we will forever look back fondly on the wonderful legacy that he leaves behind as an entertainer. As for me? I’m going to go watch some reruns of DuckTales to honor this man’s memory. Rest in peace, Alan Young; you’ve earned it.